If I can go back a few posts starting with last night’s game:
Regarding Fife, I don’t see how he was living dangerously by giving up ground balls. I always thought giving up grounders was a good thing. Maybe because when I think of ground balls I think of pitchers like Don Sutton, Orel Hershiser, and Greg Maddux. I just didn’t think he was at risk.

Regarding Jim Eisenreich, though he was a good hitter with the Phillies/Marlins I never thought of him as a Dodger nemesis. The guy who I categorized as a Dodger killer was Paul O’Neill. Every hit seemed to be an extra base hit. I was glad he switched leagues.

For what its worth…probably nothing…just had something stuck in my baseball craw.

Anonymous

Fife’s performance was encouraging but not definitive – it’s a little too early to start talking about Maddux and the others, who also struck out a lot of batters. It’s possible Fife will be a useful pitcher, in one or another role, but we simply haven’t seen enough of him. I did like the fact that he threw strikes, with poise on the mound.

Anonymous

The nice thing about ground balls is that they sometimes become double plays, and never become home runs. I’d much rather have a ground ball specialist than a guy who gives up fly balls. Don’t know why the Rockies haven’t embraced this philosophy.

Anonymous

Would guess that ground ball pitchers usually specialize in some form of sinker, but that the ball doesn’t move nearly as well in Denver. I always thought the Rockies should focus on power pitchers. However, I’m glad to have them in the West as also rans.

Anonymous

Coors Field gives up more hits actually because ground balls get through the infield faster. So a severe ground ball pitcher really isn’t helped much because of the altitude.

Also because the outfield is so big in Colorado, the outfielders play deeper and that tends to give up more bloop hits.

The Rockies would be better served to get pitchers who strike out a lot of guys, so it doesn’t matter where they hit it. Ubaldo Jimenez in 2010 had the most successful season for a Rockies pitcher in terms of WAR at 7.3 and he struck out 214.

Before he got hurt, Jorge De La Rosa had a high K/9 rate and he was pretty successful.

Aaron Cook was the only Rockies pitcher who had some success as a ground ball machine that I can think of.

Anonymous

At one time, the Rocks signed Bill Swift as a groundball pitcher free agent from the Gnats but, if I recall correctly, he was constantly injured.

Anonymous

Why do ground balls get through the infield faster at high altitude? And couldn’t this be remedied by letting the grass grow longer, watering the dirt, etc.
Agreed that strikeouts are the best kind of outs. But also the most taxing, because they require at least three pitches to record.

Anonymous

Often more. Many strikeout pitchers have control issues.

Anonymous

I love the talk about how the stadium influences the strategy. I love how the stadium is an active participant. Beautiful

Anonymous

Jon: Thanks for the great trip back in time to Hill Street Blues. My wife and I loved the show and watched it almost religiously. It was a tremendous hour of TV, and your clips reminded me why we appreciated it so much. Now get some sleep….

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

No Nick Offerman for best supporting actor in a comedy? bummer. I also think Louie is the best comedy..

Anonymous

I have heard of José Offerman.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

Yes, he was nominated in comedy as best supporting Shortstop

Anonymous

Jose Offerman at shortstop was pretty much a comedy act.

Anonymous

He later became a decent utility player for the Red Sox, though.

http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

Clint Eastwood ‘Halftime in America’ spot earns Emmy nom bit.ly/O0aoSD
Clips of the five nominees at the link …

Anonymous

Braves just beat the Giants, 3-2.

KT

^_^

Anonymous

Thanks to the Bravos, who beat Gumbarner and the Gnats 3-2, the Dodgers gain half a game today.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

And thanks to a repeat viewing on fox sports west that’s on now, my son is gonna think they are gonna win 2 in a row!!

Anonymous

Don’t tell Ned but Ankiel was cut loose by Cards

Anonymous

Actually, it was by the Nats (not the Gnats). Perhaps he could learn the lesson that it’s OK to DFA useless players.

Anonymous

Whoopsie, was still thinking Cards for some reason. Need to stop thinking!

Anonymous

Signing off last night, Vin made it sound as if he would be broadcasting the games in NY this weekend. Anybody know anything about that?

Anonymous

I’d like that a great deal. Maybe he still has some family in NYC.

Thankfully, no Dickey.

Congrats on the gig, Jon, too bad the Emmies have devalued the brand by giving ten-at-a-time away to cartoon editing teams as ‘daytime emmies’.

http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

What did he say?

Anonymous

I don’t recall the exact wording, but it was something like “so long until Friday…”

KT

I heard him say it also

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Hitchcock/1676059435 Jim Hitchcock

He said “we’ll be talking to you next from New York”, which sounded like he was talking about himself, but just a case of misspeak, I think.

Anonymous

Now that would be something special.

foul tip

Si.com’s NL West version of who’s buying, who’s selling. May have a bit of new but not particularly earth-shattering info.

Claims Hairston has “unseated” Uribe at 3B. Well…..if Uribe really has lost his seat, that might be enough to land him on the DL.. ;-])

Story has a good (or bad, depending on your view of puns) line about Quentin: “a legitimate thumper in a market that lacks a certain thump-thing.”

Is there any ranking of major league ballparks according to their total surface area? I would think Denver ranks No. 1 because of its large outfield, and Petco probably also ranks highly, but I have no idea after that.